We run 125 head, M-W cattle ranch in colorado. Those cows look like they have not been worked with much. You really need to set up a sorting corral with an alleyway, and shoot with a head catch at the end. They will need worming, vaccines, and anything else. There will be no taming them. And if you are going to breed, we have small pens in one of the barns, for the heavies that look close. The closest one gets put in another small pen with a head catch. So if we have to pull a calf we can lock her in the head catch. All of this is done with heavy metal panels. There is nothing worse then a moma cow with a calf. As my husband says they are on the fight.
I love your points about how traditional mob grazing vs concentrated industrial style farming. Forward thinking about making everything more in line with nature and sustainability.
He only should have avoided hard, sharp, sounds (like the metal gate) until they get used to the daily noises. They are not very used to humans around, but will get used to him and the sounds on the farm.
Hi Morgan, It's really good that you are spending lots of time with your cattle. They need to hear your voice a lot. They won't forget it. That way down the road when you call them they will come. It's best if you figure out who is the leader. She will dictate where they go and what they eat etc. Also you need to give them treats. Then they'll get to know you a lot faster. I suggest alfalfa cubes. Cows love those the most. You can also get alfalfa in the small size like if you decide to milk them. You'll really get to know them well that way, and faster, but that's down the road, so to speak. I love your channel and watch every episode. I feel you and Allison are doing a fine job learning the ropes and really puttimg yourselves out there. Your aren't shy and I feel that works to your benefit. Keep it up. Your a very personable guy, so most people will be drawn to you. I wish you and Allison the very best. Take care, and stay safe. Coco 😂🤗🎊🎉🎊🎉
I will be getting my first cows next year and am nervous but so ready! I’ve worked with them but not at a regenerative agriculturally focused farm so everything will be brand new again. Thanks for sharing as always 🙏🏻🦆🐄
Highlands like trees and brush as scratching posts and for shade. They also love being brushed, once you get them tamed enough to let you. Once they're eating hay more than grazing, you ought to be able to get close enough to them. Keep trying, because once you they learn to associate you with that pleasant sensation, they'll tame up nicely.
My grandparents raised cattle on their farm and I never really saw the cows eating any apples, but what they seemed to really like were these blocks called Mineral Licks. The blocks are made up of salt as well as minerals and nutrients and it seemed like a treat for the cows even though it was like they were essentially taking their daily vitamins. Maybe you could get a salt block for your cows and see if they like it. If they really like it perhaps you could move the Mineral Lick to wherever you want the cows to go to help encourage them to the new area? I've never done much with cows myself so I'm in no way a expert, but I thought it couldn't hurt to mention it.
Your cattle are settling but it will take a couple of months for them to calm. The problem you need to concentrate on is getting them to accept you trimming their hooves. Good luck with that!
Morgan is going to need a mineral or salt block for them at some point or a feeder with loose minerals to just keep them healthy too. Especially expecting mothers need to make sure they have the right trace mineral balances.
I really have been looking forward to these cow videos, watching new elements enter your farm and blend into it seamlessly is my favorite part of your channel, and now I get to see it as it's happening!
Try getting some sweet grain (normally for horses), put it in a bucket and shake it while you talk/call out to the cows. It will take awhile but eventually they’ll associate you with food and become much easier to handle. You don’t need to whisper. Just make your normal noises so they can bet used to you and the farm. Stay calm and give them space at first. I agree with multiple others that you need a chute and a small holding pen (metal panels). Eventually the cows will need basic veterinary care and a chute is a must have to be able to safely handle them. Good luck 🙂
Hey, so what you're talking about with the cattle is also known as Holistic grazing or holistic farm management. Its been done since the 80s in Africa and Australia and its now the gold standard for the best produced beef and land regeneration.
So Morgan, are you considered a 'REAL FARMER' now? 🤣 I have so much admiration and respect for you. It is NEVER easy to put stuff out there for everyone to see especially on social media. You are using your 'failures' to grow and learn at the same time as teaching others what works or doesn't work. Failing at something is only a failure if we don't try again. You are a good man.
contained. . . thats funny!!! cattle needs barbed wire fencing, they are tough and will go where ever they want unless you have wire fence that is 5 stranded and where you want them, so good luck with that. we raised hundreds of cattle and electric fence was a funny time for them, when they started running electricity wont stop them. cattle are tough as nails and will go where they want when spooked or angry or freaked out. we had an industrial 220 pulse protector double strand fence and cows laughed at it.
I know of many farmers that graze cattle in one strand of electric fence. No problem. Single strand poly. I’m not a fan of barbed wire, I have 110 stitch scars on my legs from a colt, when I was 16. His tail caught up and he took off. Totally my fault, but this new poly wire is the way to graze your cattle. Glad Aaron is doing it this way. His farm will be better and fertile for it.
Morgan; A couple of suggestions about rotational grazing , when U move them to another section run over the one they just came out of with the rotary cutter it will help to control the weeds that the cattle don't eat. Teach them to come to U by giving them a little feed when U call , this will save SO MUCH aggravation of having to hike threw wet ,high,and and tangled grass. Just an idea to help out another farmer. Thanks for the movies!
Very Cool!! I think as long as you take your time with the Cows they will warm up to you!! Sweet kitty gets to get out of lock down!! God Bless and have a Wonderful Weekend!! 😀❤⚘
My dog used to love apples too.....Pferde apples. - Horse droppings. , when he was little. That setup with the cattle looks good, stuck up there on the hill.
You can train them to come to you by whistling. How you take grain out there and dump it for them on the ground, whistle and after a while they will come to you when you whistle. Animals are very intelligent.
You doin a great job so to be honest i know a lot about "greener grass" in Europe we pickup the pooo mix it with water and spread it on the fields for fertilzing the down grased or chopped fields. So if you keep going u ablsolute right that next year your land looks much better. You was on a good way and me and my brother on the way to get some money on the side that we follow the farmers way 😁 thank you so much for enspire us 🇩🇪❤❤❤ you and your wife deserve it because you working hard on this dream
what you need for them is to habituate to your presence and that means consistent hang outs. habituation is defined as the lack of response to a stimulus. for highland cattle that stimulus is you.👍
Whoa! We’re at 6000+ on our high tensile, and 4-5000 on our poly wire. Cows don’t mess with it, but a few hair sheep go though it. I’m surprised those cows went through it at all!
There is an additive you can sprinkle on the dog’s food which then makes eating poop an unpleasant experience. Can’t remember the name, but years ago got it from our vet. Stopped the poop eating almost immediately.
They’ll be fine. Quite a while back, older episode of Dr Pol. A farmer gave his cow apples. Got stuck. Couldn’t go up or down. Turned into a major problem. He managed to fix it. Just something to think about
Huge fan, completely support your farming enterprise. Was the hunting/hounding at all a motivator to expand your operations to include cattle? I can't help but imagine that the electric fence would be a great deterrent! Best of luck!
Give them some time. They are getting used to their new home, and you're still a stranger. Even cats and dogs tend to hide when you first adopt them, if they've been traumatized. Remember how you spent time with Molly and Ginny everyday when you first got them? And you spent time getting all the new batches of ducklings and goslings used to human contact? This is going to be exactly the same. They are just MUCH bigger. Poor scardey-moos.
Highland cattle should be perfectly happy whatever the weather can't see any need to keep them couped up over your long winters. Maybe give them access to the barn and the land over winter.
If you get the point where the cattle will allow you to approach them, I highly suggest hand feeding them some *molasses*. Both from my personal experience, and other cattle farmer's experience I've learned that they go crazy for the stuff. Even compared to other sugary foods. It's more useful for calves, but hopefully it will make them less skittish around you, and more cooperative.
Toby is trying to blend in by smelling like cow. How about Arthur for the male? Anna, Aster, Abby, Andrea, Amanda, Amelia. A names are harder than you'd think. I love your channel and the way you explain what and why you're doing things. Thanks for sharing with us. Remember to always do you even with all the critics.
I grew up with pastor grazing, I even knew of a dairy that was basiced on the principle. Thus I never knew of any other way. So much so that when I heard about potty training cows I thought that it was stupid. However, you need a coral, I missed spelled the word, but it will help with vaccinations, worming, and culling. For the bull name Augustus or Archie.
I have a Maremma/Pyrenees cross & British White cattle along with Welshie ducks and an assortment of chickens. She gets out of the gator when doing the rounds. The birds are “hers”, the cattle are mine. Except when the cattle get out. Then everything is hers. Lol. Had highlands. Switched. Horns sucks.
Hey Mr gold did you ever watchjust a few acre farm he's kind of like you but he's got Dexter cattle he talks with it takes and all the good stuff like that just taught i mention it to you love your channel
Maybe try to give them treats every time you go check up on them to get them closer and used to you like the last video you tried to give them apples? It'll be really interesting to see how they react to cattle vets and hoof trimmers.
Apples are not going to make it as a snack. Use hay or alfalfa, feed them, get them on a schedule to get used to you showing up and feeding at a specific time. Get them to look forward to you feeding them.....You have all those bale open one up or go get some small bales and feed them.
Toby knows what he is doing; he knows the cattle are now part of the system, so is staying within sight until they are used to him, and rolling in the cow pats make him smell like them rather than a possible predator. Perhaps brush him out rather than bathe him for a while, just until your farm meshes in. Good luck!
Steer don't have horns, those are cows, all steer (male & female) are hornless, all cattle (male & female ) have a genotype in their biology (depending on exactly their genetics) that do indeed allow for horns.
make sure you dont accidentally REALLY sneak up on em. They need to see or hear you from a while ago. no shouting yea but some noises very ok. dont want you to get trampled!
Worm the dog eating grass or poop is a way to encourage internal worms to leave the dogs system or nutrients missing... well that's what I learned growing up fro, my dad... farmer most of his life.
From Canada. Husband is Scottish and when we go back there we often encounter and interact with the Highlands in the wild. Too bad the form owners didn't people train them. Taking cattle cake with you every day, shaking he bag and leaving them some will be a good bribe, after all here are times you have to get to the animal quickly, so they have be used to people. In dog food stores you can buy cans of undigested grass from cow stomaches which gives extra digestive enzymes. Son on a dairy farm - the cows and heifers are moved every day, and his 5yr old Golden Doodle still eats and rolls in cow poop ( plus greets the odd skunk) Yes the land will get get enriched, the litter protecting the growing grass, and manure feeding the soil and insects. English saying is you need as much livestock below ground as above. Good luck with the cattle, and use treats to tame. Also being a prey animal they can be intimidated at first by being stared at. Good if you work passing close by them and go about your business, no prolonged eye contact at first, giving some treats, and becoming an unscary presence.
Always start animals that are new to electric fencing in hard fencing with electric inside. You would be a long ways ahead if you had set up a pen of portable corral panels with a wire inside for a few days. They need to feel enclosed and safe at first so a smaller pen helps that, it also forces them to be close to you and learn that you aren't a threat. Next, get yourself some corn. It's candy to cows and its just a treat. 5 lbs in a small trough every morning will have the 5 of them coming running soon.
Toby is rolling in cow poop? Well my dogs do it too. When we let them in with our cows 🐄 they immediately rolled in the poop. And they still roll in cow poop. So you might have to clean Toby a lot.
Not sure about the breed you got, but my grandfather's beef cattle were pretty friendly. Other than the bull. But they removed the horns. Right or wrong, doing it sure did prevent accidents. If you want meat and poop, how about goats instead?
Just wait until you have your first pasture to plate Porter House Steak. There is no better steak on this earth than a farm fresh steak. I see your herd growing quickly. Good Luck!
There are several great ideas from folks more experienced in raising cattle mixed in the comments, but you should take some time to watch Just a Few Acres Farm to see where you might want to be with the smaller breed. He has Dexter's, but I think most things are universally applicable across breeds..most things..not all things. He might better reflect a scale you are going to as opposed to Greg Judy or Joel Salatin.
